Olive Garden Mortified By Playboy Bunny's Endorsement

Thanks, but no thanks. Playboy bunny and star of
E!'s The Girls Next Door, Kendra Wilkinson, is an
outspoken supporter of the Olive Garden. One problem: she's not
being paid, and they'd rather not have her endorsement.

To the consternation of Olive Garden's marketers, who have spent
millions crafting the franchise's family-friendly image, the
23-year-old adult-entertainment star and aspiring real-estate
mogul repeatedly uses her spotlight to rave about its midprice
eateries. Ms. Wilkinson hoists Olive Garden doggie bags in the
air and extols its chicken parmigiana. She once scandalized
European diners by declaring the Olive Garden preferable to any
restaurants in Italy...

Earlier this year, buoyed by her starring role on "The Girls Next
Door," a highly rated reality show that follows the lives of Mr.
Hefner's girlfriends, Ms. Wilkinson launched a modeling
competition for attractive Olive Garden waitresses. The prize: a
nude Playboy pictorial. Ms. Wilkinson took the contestants'
photographs herself..

Starbucks is also subject to "rogue" endorsements from celebs
photographed carrying their coffee cups in magazines. And in 2003
Playboy ran a similar "Women of Starbucks," spread. And look how
the coffee chain is doing now!